Questions from a Newbie Collector

[Argentum-Zeena]

Hi there, I have a few questions for all of you current pony collectors. I've recently decided to collect ponies, but I'm not quite sure how to go about it. First of all, how do you keep your collection in order? Do you use shelves, a display case, etc.?
Secondly, how should I go about obtaining ponies? I have less than 10 at the moment, so should I just buy whichever ponies I come across and later narrow it down?
I'm also open to any collecting tips and tricks you may have. Thanks in advance

 

[Skeen]

I have shelves from Ikea, and I have expandable spice racks on each shelf to hold the max number of ponies.

The size and type of display can vary widely. What kind of collector do you want to be? A "buy everything that comes out" type, or the more choosy, "buy only what I like" type? Obviously the first type requires more room and more display area.

As for HOW to collect, I'd start by buying only what you like. Your tastes are likely to change and then you can branch out, but getting a BUNCH all at once can be overwhelming. But of course, there's really no wrong way to do it, lol! Just stay within your budget and available space.

 

[fantasticfirefly]

Hi and welcome!
I second everything Skeen says. Buy what you like most is a biggie. there is zero point to buying a valuable pony, just for the sake of it being valuable.

A friend made me get a blog recently and said I should talk about my collection. Well, trying to decide what to even talk about, this was one of my first topics. In real life I get asked quite often about how to start up a collection. This post covers figuring out what you'd like, where to find them, figuring how much to pay, and general care and storage. Here's the post Getting Started. | FantasticFirefly

Now, for displaying them, I am a HUGE Ikea fangirl. Dollar for dollar they have the most affordable and widest selection of displays. Some of their systems can start as something smaller, less expensive and pretty basic (I have the billy bookcase.), but you can get more extravagant later. If you have ten ponies, dust isn't a big issue. when you have hundreds, it's nice to be able to add glass doors to the displays you already have, without needing entirely new cabinets.

 

[Argentum-Zeena]

Thanks so much! I was so unsure of where to start, but now I think I have an idea. I'll just go for my favorite G4 ponies that haven't appeared in the show, since they'll be harder to find sooner than the mane 6. My family is borderline poor right now, so for now they'll just have to share the bookcase with my books lol But once we have more money I'll definately remember IKEA.
Thanks again!

 

[DialgaBritesMom]

It's also relatively simple to build a "stair step" shelf to fit on your bookcase so you can get the most out of your space. You can use something like balsa wood or poster board (foam board? the thicker stuff) and either glue the steps to the.. whatchamacallit.. the thing on the side... there's a builder's term for it... stringer? anyway, either glue them together or make grooves to slide them together. Someone somewhere did a tutorial about this...

 

[MidnightChyld]

Was wondering if anyone mentioned Klect? Klect.com can help you make inventory of your ponies in the future. I have not used it yet since I have very few ponies.

 

[Locket]

I was exactly in your shoes a few months ago when I decided I wanted more ponies than just the ones I had. I think the best way to get started is just to educate yourself on what is out there first. I had only G1 ponies from when I was a kid and I knew about the G3's because I had seen them in the store. I really had no grasp about how many kinds and how many of each kind when I got started. I STILL find myself seeing ponies in other people's collections I did not know existed. So just take some time to look at what's out there and see what it is you like. Here's some great resource links.

Dream Valley: Dream Valley - A Collector's Guide to My Little Pony
Strawberry Reef: G1, G2, G3 & G4 My Little Pony Reference Guide

The board offers great features you help you out. There's the Wishing Well where you can just keep a personal list of the ponies you'd like to own and you can access it and edit it at any time. I'm constantly adding and taking off ponies as I change my mind about what I want.

I highly suggest not going crazy at first and thinking you need one of every pony in existence. I noticed my Wishing Well list was massive when I first started and then I decided there were some ponies I just didn't need and I took them off. Or some were purchased and were removed as well.

Now, as for obtaining said ponies, the board offers great features as well. If you have money set aside for certain ponies, you can post on the "Want to Buy" section that you are looking for certain ponies and it's possible people will contact you with a pony they'd like to sell.

The best way to get ponies is to lurk around the "Want to sell" section and see what's around. That will help you get an idea for how much the ponies are going for so you can keep tabs on maybe how much you would have to spend for a certain pony on your list.

Oh man, it is an evil, evil place. Sometimes I go there just to see what's up and I ALWAYS see something I totally want and sometimes it's hard to not inquire when i don't have the funds. It's best not to go there unless you are ready to buy something.

If you just want cheap, random ponies, I suggest trying your local thrift stores, yard sales and flea markets. They are super cheap if you don't mind sometimes cleaning them up. I LOVE it when people take pictures of their finds from those places in the "Show and Tell" section. So much fun what people happen upon.

I hope that helps you out, hon. Good luck with your collection!

 

[MLP_KLECT]

Overdue response

Wow, is this ever a late response? :doh5B15D:

We really have been remiss on keeping up and had some issues internally that set us back a bit (okay, no more complaining)

Now for some update and news!

Yes, KLECT has initial values that don't always reflect the current prices you might see. AGREED! It is very frustrating to not have that be more real time.
We are launching a new feature in a few weeks to help with this!
How it works
All users can select all or a range of ponies and will see a listing of the values assigned to each of the 6 conditions in the system. Users will be able to 'vote' the price UP or DOWN. Each user can vote on each condition every 24 hours (so no major multi clicks users whacking out a value) and the system will make an incremental change. This allows the values of ponies to be 100% at the control of the users!!
This will allow values to adjust based on your inputs.

We are working next to allow community shared data and pictures. Many photos, we just didn't have, and adding a way for users to use their own custom images as the stock image helps everyone. For data, that is next and will allow 1 user to add a missing pony that can then be used by everyone in the site. This lets users help each other.

KLECT is 100% free, sign up is free. Please either post ideas or send them to our contact@klect.com email address. Your ideas to improve helps a LOT!

Again, thank you everyone for the feedback. We are committed to improving the experience for each of you as this is for you.

KLECT